I tested positive for Covid-19 early in July. I have never been that ill.
I thought I was going to die. This is definitely not the common cold or the flu.
However, this is a very expensive illness to have.
I was in no condition to go sit in a doctor’s surgery or at a day hospital.
So I went online and found a company called Mask Matters, who do home testing.
They come to your home within hours of you making contact and booking a test.
There are different types of Covid-19 tests.
A rapid antigen test costs R550 per person, and you get the results immediately.
A PCR test will set you back R850 per person, and you get your results within 8-12 hours.
If you are showing symptoms, they suggest the R550 test.
This Delta variant is brutal.
If your symptoms are severe, you will probably need to go to a doctor, so that you can get a prescription for medication to deal with your Covid-19 symptoms.
Your doctor’s consultation fee can range from anything from R250 to R500.
That excludes the medication the doctor prescribes which needs to be bought at a pharmacy.
This can cost anything between R500 and R1000.
You might also need to buy meds more than once.
I don’t buy fresh fruit and veg from shops. I only buy from the stalletjies.
Yet, even the simplest things like garlic, ginger, oranges, lemons and other fresh produce needed to boost your immune system and help fight Covid-19 can cost quite a bit of money.
Personally, I would advise using the natural remedies and the oumens raadjies in addition to your meds.
They really do help in fighting Covid-19, and they can save you a bundle!
If you are self-employed and unable to work when you are sick, you obviously won’t have an income.
That hits any household hard!
I am sure many people are grateful for the reinstatement of the R350 SRD (social relief from distress grant), which was extended until the end of March 2022. It isn’t much but it helps.
Your rights at work with Covid:
I recently spoke to attorney Rynhardt De Lange, who says that there is a lot of uncertainty among employees when it comes to their rights in terms of Employment Law and Covid-19.
He says: “It is a sad truth that certain employers force their staff to work, despite staff showing symptoms of Covid-19.
“On the other hand, staff having symptoms often refuse to isolate themselves out of fear of losing their income.
“The third wave is here and individuals having symptoms cannot risk going to work and exposing others without being cleared by a medical practitioner.”
Here are various Covid-19 scenarios and how they impact your rights (and subsequently your income) in the workplace.
An employee shows symptoms at work and home:
– The employee is entitled to sick leave as contained in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. A medical certificate may be required. The employee must be isolated for 10 days.
– Should the employee not have any sick leave left, he may submit a claim with UIF.
An employee has tested positive for Covid-19:
– The employee is entitled to sick leave as contained in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. A medical certificate may be required. The employee must be isolated for 10 days.
– Should the employee not have any sick leave left, he may submit a claim with UIF.
An employee was in contact with someone that tested positive for Covid-19, however, is not showing any symptoms:
If the contact happened outside the workplace:
– The employee should be isolated for 10 days.
– The employee will not be able to claim from sick leave benefit and normal leave days may be utilised to cover the 10 days, alternatively, it will be unpaid leave.
If the contact happened within the workplace:
This scenario is divided into two parts.
– High-Risk Exposure – Guidelines suggest that you were in contact with the person that tested positive for more than 15 minutes and within 1 metre not wearing any protective equipment.
– Low-Risk Exposure – Guidelines suggest that you were in contact with the person that tested positive for less than 15 minutes and more than 1 metre apart and wearing protective equipment
For High-Risk exposure:
The employee is entitled to sick leave as contained in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. The employee must be isolated for 10 days.
– Should the employee not have any sick leave left, he may submit a claim with UIF.
For Low-Risk exposure:
The employee must monitor his/her symptoms for 10 days. The employee may continue to work whilst wearing a face mask.
Speak to your HR department or contact the Department of Labour if you are unsure about work-related Covid-19 issues.
Dealing with the financial, physical, emotional and mental toll of this pandemic is not easy.
If you get Covid-19 and have severe symptoms, chances are that you will be physically affected for more than 10 days.
Try and financially prepare for this time.
Save when and where you can, and spend wisely.
Every little bit helps when Covid-19 hits your home and work.